OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Crews have begun working at the future site of the long-awaited Omaha National Cemetery in western Sarpy County.

Local officials have been discussing plans for the cemetery for more than a decade. But they weren’t able to immediately make it a reality due to a Department of Veterans Affairs rule requiring at least 170,000 veterans to live within a 75-mile radius of the proposed site.

In 2009, President Obama’s administration relaxed the rule and started budgeting for the cemetery the following year.

Cemetery director Cindy Van Bibber moved onto the property earlier this month. She says the VA plans to open a small portion of the property for in-ground burials in about a year.

Construction on the cemetery’s first phase will continue into 2018.